FAYETTEVILLE —Matt Durrett beat a political newcomer Tuesday to win a third term as 4th Judicial District prosecuting attorney.
Durrett beat Stephen Coger, an attorney in Fayetteville.
The judicial district includes Madison and Washington counties.
Prosecuting attorneys earn $171,122 per year and serve four-year terms.
Durrett, 48, has worked for 25 years trying criminal cases in front of Washington and Madison county courts. He said he’s prosecuted cases from theft of property to capital murder.
He has run an office of 50 employees and managed an annual budget of over $1.5 million for more than seven years, Durrett said.
His office in 2018 helped found the National Child Protection Task Force. It started out as a one-man operation but has grown to include an international group of experts dedicated to tracking down and catching human traffickers and those who exploit children.
Durrett said drug traffickers need to be in prison, but their victims — and society in general — can benefit from having rehabilitation programs and specialty courts.
He said the community benefits when those who commit low-level drug offenses or drug-related offenses receive treatment toward recovery. An addict can contribute to the community when he is off drugs, gainfully employed, supporting his family and paying taxes.
The offenders need services, he said, but they must also be made to pay restitution to those they have harmed financially.
Durrett said he’d also like to see a mental health court in the district.
“For our system to function as it should, to keep our community safe, we need a prosecutor who will work with law enforcement instead of against it,” he said.
WASHINGTON COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY - DISTRICT 4
Complete but unofficial results are:
Matt Durrett* 18,232 (59%)
Stephen Coger 12,533 (41%)
* denotes incumbent
For latest results, visit nwaonline.com/nwavote
Laurinda Joenks can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWALaurinda.